I'm so sorry its taken so long to update! I've been quite ill and only now been able to continue writing. By the way, please review. Thank you to every who did, and everyone who hasn't: PLEASE REVIEW!
Chapter Nineteen
He's gone?...
He's gone! Now's my chance!
Quickly, she stood and ran to a more open cavern where she could work. Once she stood in the centre, she raised her arms and allowed her energy to coalesce into a single point: a ball of light just in front of her.
She slowly folded her hands on her sternum and closed her eyes in concentration. A second later, she forced her arms outward, sending the ball of light flying through the walls to her target.
Dumbledore sat in his office, pouring over old tomes and books that might have some reference to a ward-breaking location spell.
In the midst of this search, a ball of light flew through the window and came to a stop in the centre of the room, quite suddenly completely stationary.
Lin's face, marred by lines of worry, fear, and sleeplessness, coalesced just outside the ball and floated there for a second before she began to speak.
"Albus! His lair is in the geographic centre of the Rhodopes. It's a cave very close to a lake shaped like a V. Look for the caverns. They're your best chance. I have to go. He's coming b-"
Her face suddenly disappeared. Only seconds later, it was replaced by Vaeldin's enraged physiognomy.
"I help you, I care for you, I even wait for you to be ready, and this is the thanks I get? You're trying to run off with the mutt and the old gaffer! If you don't do as I say, I'll not wait to take what's mine!"
Both faces disappeared, but that did not hold Albus's attention. The bright ball of magic had turned black, and it was expanding quickly. The second it touched the floor, it burst outwarts with tremendous force, blowing everything over as a high, piercing scream filled the air.
The scream cut off abruptly as the shockwave halted. Albus waited in tense silence on baited breath. What would be nxt?
When it appeared as though there would be no further surprises, he sprang to his feet and raced over to the fireplace. Quickly, he contacted the very same group that would help, telling them all to floo there.
Within minutes they were all assembled in his office, waiting to hear what had happened. With the addition of the final member of their group (Severus Snape), Dumbledore quickly explained that Lin had contacted him. He did not venture into much detail for fear of wasting precious time on unnecessary questions. What mattered was that they could get to Lin. They could help her.
The group quickly apparated, following the instructions Albus had given them, to the geographic centre of the Rhodopes. They arrived in front of the mouth of a large cave. The darkness within seemed to pull at them and beckon to them. They went in.
After a minute of running in the semi-darkness, they heard a faint sound: a scream in the distance. They all only went faster, though none quite so much as Remus and Albus.
As they approached the source of the sound, they heard other sounds along with the screams: moans and heavy breathe. Their meaning was not lost to anyone, but none dared speak as they tried desperately to get there in time to stop this repugnant act.
Abruptly the moans stopped, but the screams became more ear-piercing. Just as quickly, the screams were cut off. The only sound remaining was that of their feet trampling through the caves, occasionally splashing in a puddle of who knows what liquid, for by the smell it certainly was not water. In this new silence, they could hear someone sobbing, presumably the same person who had been screaming. They arrived a minute later.
A single candelabrum illuminated the shadowy cave. It was otherwise empty, save for a curtain on the far side.
They hurried to the curtain. Albus reached it first and pulled it back, dreading what he would find. In this little corner of the cave, a bed was shoved against the wall. Lin lay curled on her side, crying as she hid her eyes. She laid bare before them. Her only covering was a silk sheet pulled over part of her body. Through it, they could all see the blood running down her leg, her inner thigh.
Instantly, Remus hurried forward and draped his cloak over her to hide her. He did not spare a glance at the womanly flesh glistening in the dim light. His only objective had been to shield her.
Lin recoiled the second he touched her, looking wildly around at the newcomers. She jumped to her feet with the speed and grace of long practice, though she did not long remain there. Whilst she remained standing, she attempted to run. Her legs would allow her to do no such thing. She collapsed, and Remus caught her, scooping her up into his arms nearly effortlessly. So light...Featherlight...
"Albus, he's coming!" Arthur called from the entrance to the cave.
"To the Burrow, quickly!" Albus responded.
A series of pops sounded in the cave as one by one, except for Remus and Lin, they disapparated. It took Remus only a second longer, but in that time, Vaeldin was at the entrance to the cave. Before the maedar could stop him, Remus disapparated to the Burrow, landing heavily on his knees in the living room.